When you open your water softener’s salt tank, you should only see salt. Yet, sometimes, you might see a standing body of water inside the tank. So, why is that?
The most common causes are:
- The drain lines are clogged
- The incoming brine line is disconnected or connected incorrectly
- The safety float control is malfunctioning
- The drain flow control valve is clogged
- Salt bridges are blocking the water flow
- The brine injector is clogged
- The brine line is clogged
- The regeneration cycle is mistiming
- The piston stack is damaged or worn out
- The system itself is malfunctioning
In this guide, we’ll take you through how all these issues arise and how to resolve them.
Why Is My Water Softener Full of Water?
Let’s take a look at the 10 most common reasons for standing water in a water softener salt tank.
1. Drain Lines Are Clogged
The reason there’s salt inside a water softener tank is to charge the resin media. During regeneration, a salt solution is transferred to the main softening unit via plastic drain lines.
Sometimes, these lines get clogged with salt, so the water solution inside can’t be drained. This is particularly common when low-quality salt is used, as it’s more likely to clog drain lines and damage them.
To deal with this problem, remove the salt and flush the drain lines with water. If there are damaged lines, you should also replace them. If you want to prevent recurrences, we recommend using better-quality salt.
2. The Incoming Brine Line Is Disconnected or Connected Incorrectly
Water enters the brine tank through a brine line, and this line is controlled by a float valve (also known as a safety float) that automatically regulates the water flow. Similar to floats in toilet tanks, it stops the flow of water once there’s enough water inside.
However, if the brine line isn’t properly connected to this valve or is disconnected, the valve can’t control the water flow. Thus, the tank gets filled with an amount of water that it cannot drain.
To avoid this, you must ensure the brine tank is connected to the float valve.
3. The Safety Float Control Is Malfunctioning
As we said in the previous section, the float valve is responsible for shutting off the water flow once there’s enough water inside the tank. However, the valve controls might not recognize the water levels due to a malfunction. As a result, you’ll end up with either standing or overflowing water.
The safety float is inside a plastic cylinder attached to the upper part of the tank. When the tank is filled, a small ball under the float moves up with the water. When this ball reaches a certain level, the valve automatically shuts off.
However, over time, the safety float can be subject to mineral buildup, and the ball might get stuck. So, it may be unable to stop the water flow and cause overflow.
To deal with this, carefully open the lid on the cylinder and gently lift the float. Then, clean it with warm water for a minute or two to remove any buildup. After that, slowly move the float up and down to see whether the ball inside is moving freely.
If the ball starts moving freely, you can reattach it. If it doesn’t, it’s better to contact the water softener manufacturer to see whether it can replace the malfunctioning parts.
4. Drain Flow Control Valve Is Clogged
Similar to the float valve that controls incoming water levels, the brine tank also features a drain valve that does the same for the outgoing water. It automatically opens to allow the salt water to enter the main tank.
However, when this control valve is clogged, the salt water can’t make its way to the main tank, resulting in standing water in the brine tank.
This commonly occurs when the water has an especially high ferric (solid) iron concentration. Since this kind of iron can build up quite easily, it can also clog valves and lines in softening devices.
You can inspect the drain lines and valve and remove the buildup, but that’s not a long-term solution. If there’s too much iron in the water supply, installing an iron pre-filter might be a better idea since iron filters are more capable of removing iron than water softeners.
5. Salt Bridges Are Blocking the Water Flow
A salt bridge is a layer of undissolved salt that forms above the brine tank’s water line. This prevents freshly added salt from reaching the water and mixing with it to form a salt solution.
If the salt bridge is quite large, it can also obstruct the water flow within the tank, reducing the float valve’s ability to regulate water inflow. As a result, this can lead to standing water in the tank.
The only way to deal with this particular problem is to open the brine tank, remove whatever’s inside, and clean it thoroughly with water until nothing remains that can present an obstacle.
We recommend only using high-quality salt to prevent further problems. Low-quality salt not only leads to potential problems but also reduces the efficiency of the resin beads and the softening unit overall.
6. The Brine Injector Is Clogged
As you might have also observed, most parts of a water softening system can get clogged by mineral buildups. The brine injector that vacuums salt water from the brine tank to the main tank is no exception.
These injectors suck the brine through tiny holes inside them. However, being subject to salt and minerals can cause buildup inside these holes. As the openings are already quite small, any buildup will reduce the water flow and eventually stop it altogether, causing standing water inside the brine tank.
If there is a buildup inside the injector, you should clean it. However, more often than not, the insides of these injectors are made of plastic, and cleaning with a sharp metal object like a needle might cause further damage. So, we recommend you use a toothpick.
7. The Brine Line Is Clogged
Yet another water softener component that can be clogged is the brine line (or tube) through which the salt water flows. Due to the buildup of debris or salt inside it, it might not allow enough water to pass through, causing a water accumulation in the tank.
In this case, disconnecting the brine tube and flushing it with pressurized warm water will be enough to remove the clogging buildup. If the tube is damaged irreparably, you’ll need to replace it.
8. Regeneration Cycle Is Mistimed
The frequency of a water softener’s regeneration process varies depending on the water usage and the water hardness. Although regeneration should occur regularly and automatically, it can also be manually controlled (sometimes via a Bluetooth app provided by the manufacturer), and therefore, it can be altered.
As a result, regeneration might take place when it shouldn’t and might not when it should, leading to standing water in the brine tank. So, check the regeneration settings of your softening device.
If you think that’s the problem, you may want to check out our article on the water softener regeneration process.
9. Piston Stack Is Damaged or Worn Out
The piston stack (also known as a spacer stack) in water softener systems controls the water flow in and out of the tank. This stack can be worn out due to overuse or damaged by dirt and sediment that have found their way into the softening unit.
The only way to resolve this issue is to replace the piston stack. Yet, replacing piston stacks requires the help of a professional. If you attempt to do it yourself, you might cause further complications. Therefore, we recommend you contact the manufacturer and ask for assistance.
Additionally, you should consider installing a sediment filter to prevent solid material from entering and damaging your device.
10. The System Itself Is Malfunctioning
So, what if you’ve eliminated all the possibilities above, but the problem remains unsolved? Despite all the big strides in technology, electronic systems that utilize circuit boards can still malfunction, and water softeners are no different.
In case of a malfunctioning system (circuit board), you should contact a professional electrician, preferably referred to you by the manufacturer of your water softener.
Final Thoughts
If there’s standing water in your water softener’s salt tank, it’s most likely due to a clogged component, mistimed regeneration cycle settings, or a malfunction in the circuit board or piston stack.
Clogging problems are easy to identify and fix. Just check the brine and drain lines, brine injector, and control valves to see if they’re clogged and remove the buildup.
Of course, if any of these components are damaged, you should replace them. To prevent recurrences, consider installing a pre-filter that can remove contaminants that might cause buildups in your softening device.
A malfunction in the piston stack or circuit board, on the other hand, requires the assistance of professionals. So, it’s better to ask the device manufacturer for help.
